which some commentators contend, of transposing these verses so as to bring them in immediately after ver. 3."At even,' Heb. 'between the evenings ;' i. e. in the after

noon.

How was the announcement accordingly fulfilled, and what did the children of Israel say of it? v. 13-15.

Quails came up ; Heb. 'quail;' col. sing. The quail' is a bird of the gallinaceous kind, somew at resembling the partridge. Hasselquist, speaking of the larger species of quail, says, 'It is of the size of the turtle-dove. I have met with it in the wilderness of Palestine near the shores of the Dead Sea and the Jordan, between Jordan and Jericho, and in the deserts of Arabia Petræa. If the food of the Israelites was a bird, this is certainly it; being so common in the places through which they passed.' Some conimentators have supposed that the original word 'Shalav' denoted a species of locust which is well known to have constituted anciently an article of food among the inhabitants of that region, and which is in fact eaten by the Arabs of the present day. But to this it is an insuperable objection, that the Psalmist, in describing this particular food of the Israelites, says, Ps. 78. 27. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.' They came up' from the Arabian Gulf, across which they fly in the spring in great numbers, and are often so fatigued after their passage. and fly so low, as to become an easy prey wherever they alight. Wisd. 19. 12. For quails came up unto them from the sea for their contentment.' 'The dew lay round about the host; Heb. 'there was a layer of dew;' Chal. there was a descent of dew;' Arab. 'there was a spreading of dew.'-'It is manna, for they wist not what it was.' Our common translation of this passage amounts to little short of a contradiction, and should doubtless be exchanged for that given in the margin-What is this? for they wist not what it was.' The original is Man-hu,' on which Josephus remarks, 'The Hebrews call this food Manna; for the particle 'Man' is the asking of a question, 'What is this? Hu' means

In what respect was the supply of the manna truly miraculous?

It was so in that, 1. It fell but six days of the week. 2. That it fell in such prodigious quantities as to sustain between two and three millions of people. 3. That there fell a double quantity on every sixth day to serve them for the next day, which was their Sabbath. 4. That what was gathered on the first five days corrupted and bred worms, if kept above one day, but that which was gathered on the sixth kept sweet for two days. 5. That it continued falling while the Israelites abode in the wilderness, but ceased as soon as they came out of it, and obtained corn to eat in the land of Canaan. That there is, however, at the present day a peculiar substance found in this region called 'Manna' is abundantly evident from the reports of modern travelers. • It is from the Tarfa, or tamarisk-tree,' says Burckhardt, 'that the manna is obtained. The substance is called by the Bedouins mann, and accurately resembles the description of manna given in the Scriptures. In the month of June it drops from the thorns of the tamarisk upon the fallen twigs, leaves, and thorns which always cover the ground beneath that tree in the natural state. The manna is collected before sunrise, when it is coagulated, but it dissolves as soon as the sun shines upon it. The Arabs clean away the leaves, dirt, &c. which adhere to it, boil it, strain it through a coarse piece of cloth; and put it in leathern skins: in this way they preserve it till the following year, and use it as they do honey, to pour over their unleavened bread, or to dip their bread into. I could not learn that they ever make it into cakes or loaves. In the season at which the Arabs gather it, it never acquires that state of hardness which will allow of its being pounded, as the Israelites are said to have done, Num. 11. 3. Its color is a dirty yellow, and the piece which I saw was still nixed with bits of tamarisk leaves; its taste is agreeable, somewhat aromatic, and as sweet as honey.' (Mod. Trav. vol. 9. p. 160.)

What did Moses say of it, and what rule was to be observed in gathering it? v. 15, 16.

'Omer.' Anomer' was equal to three quarts English

1

measure. Number of your persons; Heb. 'number of your souls.'

What is said of the Israelites' actually gathering it? v. 17, 18.

'When they did mete it with an omer, &c.' Paul, 2 Cor. 8. 13-15. thus alludes to this circumstance; For I mean not that other men be eased and ye burdened. But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their wants, that their abundance also may be a supply for your wants; that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack;' from which it is to be inferred that when any one had gathered more than his due share he gave the overplus to those who had gathered less. Perhaps the whole quantity gathered by any one family was first put into a common mass and then measured out to the several individuals composing the household.

What was Moses' command as to leaving any portion of it, and what was the consequence to those who disobeyed? v. 19, 20.

'Let no man leave of it.' It is not implied by this that every man was imperiously commanded to eat at all events every particle which he gathered; but that if any portion of it was left, instead of being reserved for future use, it should be immediately thrown away. Bred worms;' Heb. 'wormed worms;' i. e. bred abundantly, or crawled with worms.

How often did they gather it, and how long did it remain on the ground? v. 21.

What information was brought to Moses by the rulers, and what did he say thereupon? v. 22, 23. Came and told Moses.' But what was the reason of this? The people in gathering a twofold portion on the sixth day did but comply with the previous injunction, v. 5. and it is scarcely supposable that the rulers were ignorant of this command while yet it was known to the people. We are led, therefore, to the conclusion that they

came to Moses to receive further direction as to the dis posal of the double portion which had been gathered. To impart the desired information is the object of Moses' words in the next verse: To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord; Heb. to-morrow is the sabbatism, the Sabbath of holiness unto Jehovah.' From this it appears that the Sabbath was kept prior to the giving of the law.- -Seethe that ye will seethe;' or,' boil that ye will boil.' It was boiled into a sort of jelly.

How did facts confirm the words of Moses? v. 24.

How does Moses state the general rule in respect to this matter? v. 25, 26.

'Eat that to-day, &c.' The direction contained in these two verses was given by Moses in all probability on the evening of the sixth day of the week when the Sabbath had actually commenced; for the Jewish Sabbath commenced on the previous evening. On any other explanation it is not easy to see for what reason Moses makes use of the phrase' to-day' when speaking on the sixth day of the week.

What is said of the fruitless attempt made by the people on the seventh day, and to what expostulation and injunction did it give rise? v. 27

29.

• Said unto Moses.' As the pronominal designation 'ye' is plural, Moses must be considered as representing the person of the whole congregation.-Let no man go out of his place; i. e. out of the camp of Israel. It is not an absolute prohibition of all locomotion on the Sabbath, as it was lawful to attend their holy convocations and their meetings in the synagogue, Lev. 23. 3. Acts, 15. 21. But they were specially interdicted on that day from going abroad in order to gather manna. The general rule adopted by the Jews in regard to traveling on the Sabbath was, that the distance to be considered lawful should not extend beyond the suburbs of a city, which was ordinarily the space of two thousand cubits, or about three quarters

of an English mile. Thus Mt. Olivet was a Sabbath-day's journey from Jerusalem, which is known to have been about a mile.

What was the appearance and taste of the manna? v. 31.

'Like coriander-seed.' It resembled this seed in shape and size, but in color it is expressly said, Num. 11. 6. to have resembled the bdellium, which from this passage it is evident was white.

How did it taste when baked? Num. 11. 8.

What portion of it was ordered to be preserved, for what purpose, and where was it to be deposited? v. 32, 33.

'Take a pot. The original word, which occurs nowhere else but here, signifying simply a pot or urn, is rendered by the Sept. 'golden pot,' and this rendering is adopted by the apostle, Heb. 9. 4.-'Lay it up before the Lord.' i. e. before the Ark of the Testimony, the symbol of the Divine presence, as is clearly evinced in the ensuing verse. This Ark was not indeed yet constructed, but the history was written, and perhaps the command given after it was made, and the fact is introduced here out of its natural order, because the sacred writer would now conclude all that he had to say respecting the manna.

How long did the children of Israel subsist upon the manna? v. 35.

HEADS OF PRACTICAL REFLECTION.

V. 1. In the journeyings of the Lord's pilgrims in this world, they are not unfrequently called to pass from places of plenty and pleasure to barren and comfortless deserts.

V. 1. A wilderness way is, for the most part, that which conducts to the glorious mount of God.

V. 3. The ministers of salvation are sometimes charged with being the instruments of perdition.